The present invention relates to glass compositions and particularly to glass compositions having good fiberizing characteristics, high strength, high durability at high temperatures, and high modulus of elasticity.
There has existed a demand for fiber glass compositions which can be successfully formed into fibers, particularly for use in insulation and acoustical products.
Problems of achieving those characteristics at relatively low cost have long been recognized in the glass art, but no satisfactory compositions have been available for forming long and small diameter glass fibers having the desired characteristics.
The problems associated with the achieving of such characteristics and providing an appropriate product at reasonable costs have long been recognized in the glass art.
High temperature glass compositions have heretofore been produced, but they are subject to the shortcomings of having a short working temperature range or being too expensive to produce due to the high costs of raw material and/or energy requirements.
Fibers for aircraft insulation are of particular importance, particularly for commercial aircraft. The Federal Aviation Administration has long dictated aircraft be made safer.
Aircraft have been destroyed and people's lives lost by fire, and crashes. Examples are an MD-11 which burned and was destroyed in Canada, and an MD-80 which was destroyed by fire and crashed in Texas, and many others. These crashes were blamed on insulation blankets which caught fire and burned. The blankets embodied fibers which were relatively low-temperature fibers and so melted at high temperatures.
An object of the invention is to provide a glass which has good insulation and acoustical properties, high strength, a high modulus of elasticity and high temperature resistance properties.
Another object is to provide a glass which has high strength and which can be drawn into long, strong glass fibers.
Substantial cost reductions are achieved because of the utilization of relatively inexpensive raw materials and lower energy use, which provide high temperature resistance, good insulation and acoustical properties and high strength.
Very little refining is required to provide freedom from impurities, thus allowing continuous or discontinuous fibers to be manufactured with relative ease.
The glass compositions of this invention can be formed into long and/or short, stable glass fibers.